US tsunami damage jumps to millions

Lost homes, sunken boats and damaged piers caused tsunami damage estimates to jump into the tens of millions of dollars in Hawaii and California.

In Hawaii, the rough estimate combines damage to homes, businesses, hotels, boats, piers and government infrastructure.

The most serious damage was near Kealakekua Bay and Kailua-Kona on the Big Island. Haleiwa and Keehi Lagoon on Oahu, as well as areas of Maui and Molokai, also sustained significant damage.

At least 25 boats sank at Keehi Lagoon, and an undetermined number of homes may have been destroyed along the Big Island's west coast beyond the two previously reported, including one that floated out to sea.

No one was killed or injured during the tsunami, which arrived in Hawaii early on Friday as a result of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake in Japan.

"It's in the millions in terms of property, but it's very small in terms of personal injury and deaths. Of course, we're very, very fortunate," said Governor Neil Abercrombie, who planned to visit areas damaged by the tsunami on Tuesday.

Additional losses may pile up because thousands of Japanese tourists have already cancelled vacations to Hawaii since the tsunami, dealing a crushing blow to the state's tourism-dependent economy.

"The economic consequences will be severe for us," Mr Abercrombie said. "It's going to be terrible. It's going to be rough. It's something we have to come to grips with."

He said he would call the state Council on Revenue back into session to revise last week's forecast, which already put the Hawaiian government's projected shortfall at nearly $US1 billion ($992 million) over the next two years.

Hawaiian residents and businesses have sustained enough financial harm that the state should qualify for federal assistance, including low-interest recovery loans through the Small Business Administration and other associations, Mr Abercrombie said.

It will take months to clear debris from piers and the ocean floor, and much longer to repair damaged shorelines, said Ed Underwood, administrator of the Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation.

At least 200 boats at Keehi Lagoon on Oahu were damaged when their floating docks broke loose, pushing them out to sea and then pulling them back in when waves crashed toward shore.

In California, a state official estimated statewide damage from last week's surge exceeds $40 million.

Mike Dayton, acting secretary of the Emergency Management Agency, gave the estimate after touring the battered Santa Cruz harbour, where 18 vessels sank, about 100 were damaged and 12 were unaccounted for.

Damage there is estimated at $US17 million.

Another problem was that the harbour is accommodating 58 commercial fishing vessels, which are unable to leave until it reopens - which could be at least a week, said Lisa Ekers, director of the Santa Cruz Port District. She said she was also working to get 60 people living on boats back into their homes.

Along California's north coast, officials at the heavily damaged Crescent City harbour were still working on totalling the value of the damage. All told, 53 vessels were damaged, including 15 that sank, said Alexia Retallack, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Fish and Game.

The harbour, which provided berths for more than 100 boats, was virtually destroyed by the waves, she said, devastating the fishing industry in a town where the economy largely depends on the day's catch.

A federal team will be in Crescent City later this week to use special sonar equipment to map sunken boats in the harbour.

In Santa Cruz, sonar was already being used to search for missing vessels, and crews worked to pull sunken boats out of the water on Monday. Divers jumped into the brown, oil-sheened water and attached inflatable pillows as big as their own bodies to the hulls, then pumped air in them to get the battered boats to float to the top.

Once the sludge-covered vessels made it to the surface, they were hauled ashore into a carpark, where the waiting owner would assess the damage.

State officials are still determining whether to seek federal assistance with rebuilding efforts, Mr Dayton said.